Chelsea have reportedly made contact with Benfica over the possibility of signing £83m defender Tomas Araujo in the January transfer window.
Tomas Araujo has established himself as a key player for Benfica. The 22-year-old, who has eight caps for Portugal U21s, came through the Benfica academy and has made 36 appearances for the Portuguese first team so far.
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Araujo, who is believed to have a €100m (£83m) release clause in his contract, has attracted interest from a number of clubs, according to O Jogo. The Portuguese outlet reports that Chelsea are one of the English clubs who have opened talks with Benfica, along with Crystal Palace and Newcastle.
Chelsea tried to sign Araujo in the summer of 2024, but the transfer window was about to close and they didn't get what they wanted. The latest, transfer expert Fabrizio Romano said that Chelsea were still interested in the Benfica player. He said:
“Chelsea are actively monitoring the market, they want another central defender. We'll see if it's January. It's not certain that it's January because in the last days of the summer transfer window, Chelsea considered bringing in a new central defender. For example, a player they liked was Tomas Araujo at Benfica.
They considered moving him, but then nothing happened because Benfica didn't sell an important player a few days before the transfer window closed. Now, I can confirm to you again that they are monitoring the market. They are monitoring top players.”
Former Tottenham defender Jan Vertonghen, who played alongside Araujo at Benfica, believes he can become one of the best defenders in world football.
